Can the Broncos contain — or just keep up with — Drew Brees?
A quick preview as Week 10 rolls on in the NFL …
Who’s hot
Drew Brees. After starting 0-3, the Saints have quietly played their way back to relevance by winning four of their past five games. Naturally, the quarterback who stirs the drink is in a rhythm, too. Brees has been surgically-efficient in completing better than 70% of his passes in each of the past three games. He’s topped 300 yards in three of the past four games, with an 11-2 TD-to-INT ratio during that span. No wonder the Saints are back in a familiar position of fielding the NFL’s top-ranked offense, with the Broncos visiting on Sunday.
Another reason: Brees has been complemented by a rushing attack that has averaged more than 150 yards per game over the past three outings.
Then there’s the home-dome thing. Maybe it’s an advantage again. After losing five of six games at the Superdome dating to last season, the Saints have won two consecutive games at home, winning the shootouts that are bound to happen with Brees pressed to pick up the slack left by a shaky New Orleans defense.
Key matchup
Rob Gronkowski vs. Kam Chancellor. With the Super Bowl 49 rematch on tap for Sunday night in Foxborough, the Seahawks are getting a key member to the Legion of Boom back in the nick of time.
Chancellor is poised to return from a groin injury that sidelined him for four games, and there’s no easing back into it with Gronkowski looming as the biggest playmaker in a versatile collection of weapons at Tom Brady’s disposal. It’s striking how Brady’s red-hot return from suspension (12 TDs, 0 INTs) coincided with Gronkowski’s healing from a hamstring injury. The past four weeks, Gronk has averaged 118.5 yards per game, with three TDs.
But the matchup that is just as compelling is in the running game. Chancellor is arguably the best in-the-box safety in the NFL, while Gronkowski’s prowess as a major headache in the seams overshadows his effectiveness as a punishing blocker.
Pressure’s on
Dallas Cowboys defense. The Ravens didn’t see the “real” Ben Roethlisberger last weekend, with his spotty comeback tune-up less than three weeks removed from a knee scope. The “real” Steelers quarterback is more prone to show up for the showdown at Heinz Field.
What a stress test for Rod Marinelli’s over-achieving unit, which opened the season as a major question mark, given the rash of suspensions (three) that depleted the front seven. The Cowboys defense has hung tough as Dallas has built the NFL’s longest winning streak, ranking 10th in the league for yards allowed (up from 17th last season).
Surely, the D stays fresher from the complementary football aspects afforded when the offense averages an NFL-best 33-plus minutes of possession. But now comes Roethlisberger, who, if healthy, adds a layer of a headache with his penchant for extending plays. In addition, there’s the task of containing versatile running back Le’Veon Bell and big-play receiver Antonio Brown.
All told, the explosive and versatile Steelers offense — coordinated by onetime Dallas assistant Todd Haley — represents the biggest challenge yet for Marinelli’s D.
Next man up
Peyton Barber. Playing running back for the Bucs has been quite the challenge.
Barber, an undrafted rookie from Auburn, is expected to make his second consecutive start Sunday against the Bears as yet another emergency option. Here’s to hoping he makes it to the finish. He’s the fourth running back to cycle through the starting gig.
The established signature back, Doug Martin, has been out since Week 3 with a hamstring injury. Antone Smith, who relieved Barber and was the primary workhorse in Week 9 against Atlanta, just joined Charles Sims on IR after tearing an ACL. Jacquizz Rodgers, so impressive after signing off the street to reunite with coach Dirk Koetter, is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
The silver lining? Martin has returned to practice and is considered close to returning. In the meantime, step right up, Mr. Barber.
Rookie watch
Jordan Howard. The Bears have had a nice pop from their fifth-round pick from Illinois. After starting the season on the inactive list as the third-string running back, Howard heads into Sunday’s game at Tampa with 100-yard games in three of his five starts.
Howard's opportunity came with injuries to Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey, and it has been accelerated with the rookie’s ability to generate yards after contact. He’s averaging 5.1 yards per rush. And apparently, Howard’s impact is felt in the passing game, too, with the Bears’ three most efficient games from quarterbacks this season coinciding with his three 100-yard games.
If the playoffs were today …
The Broncos (6-3) would claim the final wild card slot in the AFC. But’s a very tenuous slot.
The defending Super Bowl champs have no shortage of issues, including the task of facing the high-octane Saints offense without two key defensive cogs — cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive end Derek Wolfe.
The defense that was so dominant during the Super Bowl run is still one of best in the league, led by premier rush artist Von Miller. But it has been vulnerable against the run, as demonstrated by a 218-yard shredding from the Raiders on Sunday night. That’s how to attack the Denver D, ranked 29th against the run.
In addition to the injury setbacks, it misses the impact of productive run-stuffer Danny Trevathan and versatile D-lineman Malik Jackson, who left as free agents. Now would be a good time for the Broncos offense to take up some slack. But it may be only so capable. Second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian struggles with the deep throws and the running game suffered a major loss with the season-ending injury to C.J. Anderson. As the woes pile, the Broncos look like anything but a shoo-in to make the playoffs to defend their crown in earnest.
Stomach for an upset?
Chiefs at Panthers (-3). Look who’s on a winning streak. The defending NFC champion Panthers have won consecutive games for the first time since winning 15 in a row in 2015, and at 3-5 can still harbor visions of putting together a streak that puts them in the playoff race.
Kansas City, which won 11 in a row last season, knows streaks, too. It carries a four-game winning streak that matches New England for the second-longest current streak in the league.
But there’s another motivator in play: An upset victory would put the Chiefs (6-2) back in first place in the competitive AFC West, given a previous win over the Raiders. Kansas City also offers Carolina quite the reminder of the juice flowing through last year’s streak. The Chiefs lead the NFL with a +13 turnover margin bolstered by a league-high 20 takeaways. Last year, the Panthers led in those categories (+20, 39). This season the Panthers have a -6 margin with 17 giveaways, tied for most in the NFC.
Did you notice?
Blake Bortles. The first quarterback drafted in 2014 (third overall), has passed for at least 300 yards in 10 of his 37 starts with the Jaguars. But that's not a great stat for Jacksonville. Heading into Sunday’s game against Houston, the Jags are 0-10 when Bortles passes for 300.
Meanwhile, Derek Carr, the fourth quarterback taken in 2014 (36th overall), also has 10 career 300-yard games. The Raiders, though, have fared much better. They are 7-3 when Carr cracks 300.
Stat’s the fact
The Falcons defense heads into Sunday’s game at Philadelphia with 20 sacks through 9 games. That’s a lot more impressive when considering the unit produced an NFL-low 19 sacks last season and had just four sacks through Week 4.
NFL'S 10 MOST WATCHABLE GAMES OF WEEK 10